Biometric authentication device and method of driving and controlling the same

Abstract

A biometric authentication device has a structure member which is wearable to a user, and a biological information acquisition unit that acquires biological information of the user, and a biometric authentication unit that performs authentication of the user. The biological information acquisition unit is provided in a position where a finger of the user in contact when the structure member is worn/removed to/from the user, acquires first biological information with the finger of the user in contact with the biological information acquisition unit and second biological information which is at least one of a finger direction and action data, the finger direction is a direction of the finger in contact with the biological information acquisition unit and the action data is a data corresponding to spatial movement of the biometric authentication device when the structure member is worn/removed to/from the user. The biometric authentication unit performs the authentication based on the first and second biological information.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A biometric authentication device comprising:
 a structure member which is wearable by a user, 
 a biological information acquisition unit, mounted on the structure member, configured to acquire biological information of the user, wherein the biological information includes first biological information and second biological information; and 
 a biometric authentication unit configured to perform authentication of the user, wherein: 
 the biological information acquisition unit is provided in a position where a finger of the user is in contact when the structure member is donned by the user or the structure member is removed from the user, 
 the biological information acquisition unit acquires, as the first biological information, information of a fingerprint or a vein of the finger of the user in contact with the biological information acquisition unit when the structure member is donned by the user or when the structure member is removed from the user, and acquires, from the first biological information, a direction of the finger with respect to the biological information acquisition unit when the finger comes in contact with the biological information acquisition unit, as the second biological information, and 
 the biometric authentication unit performs the authentication based on a comparison between the second biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit and second biological information previously acquired by the biological information acquisition unit. 
 
     
     
       2. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the biological information acquisition unit:
 acquires a first finger direction of the finger in contact with the biological information acquisition unit at a first operation time when the structure member is donned by the user, as the second biological information, and 
 acquires a second finger direction of the finger in contact with the biological information acquisition unit at a second operation time when the structure member is removed from the user, as the second biological information, and 
 
 the biometric authentication unit:
 performs the authentication based on matching of the first biological information and reference biological information stored in advance at the first operation time, and 
 performs the authentication based on the matching of the first biological information and the reference biological information, and a comparison between the first finger direction and the second finger direction at the second operation time. 
 
 
     
     
       3. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 2 , wherein the biometric authentication unit controls at least the biological information acquisition unit to be inoperable, when the authentication has ended in failure at the first operation time, or when the authentication has ended in failure at the second operation time. 
     
     
       4. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 2 , wherein the biological information acquisition unit:
 acquires first operation-time biological information with the finger of the user in contact with the biological information acquisition unit at the first operation time, as the first biological information, 
 acquires the first finger direction based on the first operation-time biological information, 
 acquires second operation-time biological information with the finger of the user in contact with the biological information acquisition unit at the second operation time, as the first biological information, and 
 acquires the second finger direction based on the second operation-time biological information. 
 
     
     
       5. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 2 , wherein the biometric authentication unit recognizes that the authentication ends in failure and controls at least the biological information acquisition unit to be inoperable, when at least a difference between the first finger direction and the second finger direction exceeds a predetermined allowable range at the second operation time. 
     
     
       6. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the biological information acquisition unit further acquires, as the second biological information, (i) first action data corresponding to spatial movement of the biometric authentication device at a first operation time when the structure member is donned by the user, and (ii) second action data corresponding to spatial movement of the biometric authentication device at a second operation time when the structure member is removed from the user, and 
 the biometric authentication unit performs the authentication based on matching of the first biological information and comparison between the first action data and the second action data at the second operation time. 
 
     
     
       7. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a communication unit configured to be able to mutually perform communication with an external device set in advance, 
 wherein: 
 the communication unit transmits information for setting the external device to be inaccessible to set the external device to be inaccessible when the authentication in the biometric authentication unit ends in failure, and 
 the communication unit transmits information for setting the external device to be accessible to set the external device to be accessible when the authentication in the biometric authentication unit has succeeded. 
 
     
     
       8. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the structure member includes a band member on which the biological information acquisition unit is provided, the band member having a first end portion and a second end portion at respective ends thereof in a length direction, the band member being configured to be wound around a wearing portion of the user when the structure member is worn by the user, and the band member having the first end portion and the second end portion electrically connected when the band member is wound around the wearing portion, and 
 the biometric authentication device further comprises a wearing detection unit configured to electrically detect whether the first end portion and the second end portion of the band member have been connected, wherein an acquisition action of the biological information of the biological information acquisition unit is controlled according to a detection result by the wearing detection unit. 
 
     
     
       9. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the band member has a structure in which the first end portion is connectable with the second end portion at a plurality of mutually different positions, 
 the wearing detection unit detects a connection position as to where in the second end portion the first end portion of the band member is connected, and 
 the biometric authentication unit performs the authentication based on a detection result of the connection position by the wearing detection unit. 
 
     
     
       10. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the structure member has a structure which is wearable on a wrist or an arm of the user, 
 the biological information acquisition unit includes a first electrode provided in a position where the finger of the user is in contact, and a second electrode provided in a position where the wrist or the arm of the user is in contact, and 
 the biological information acquisition unit further acquires a biological impedance of the user with the first electrode and the second electrode, and 
 the biometric authentication unit performs the authentication based on a value of the biological impedance. 
 
     
     
       11. The biometric authentication device according to  claim 10 , wherein the first electrode in the biological information acquisition unit is provided at a position where a specific finger is in contact when the structure member is donned by the user or the structure member is removed from the user, and the biological information acquisition unit acquires the biological impedance in parallel with acquisition of the first biological information with the specific finger. 
     
     
       12. A method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device, the biometric authentication device comprising a structure member which is wearable by a user, and a biological information acquisition unit, mounted on the structure member, in a position where a finger of the user is in contact when the structure member is donned by the user or the structure member is removed from the user, the method comprising:
 acquiring biological information of the user, wherein the biological information includes first biological information and second biological information; and 
 performing authentication of the user, 
 wherein: 
 said acquiring the biological information includes:
 acquiring, as the first biological information, information of a fingerprint or a vein of the finger of the user in contact with the biological information acquisition unit when the structure member is donned by the user or the structure member is removed from the user, and 
 acquiring, from the first biological information, a direction of the finger with respect to the biological information acquisition unit when the finger comes in contact with the biological information acquisition unit, as the second biological information, and 
 
 the authentication is performed based on a comparison between the second biological information acquired by the biological information acquisition unit and second biological information previously acquired by the biological information acquisition unit. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  claim 12 , wherein:
 said acquiring the biological information includes:
 acquiring a first finger direction of the finger in contact with the biometric authentication device at a first operation time when the structure member is donned by the user, as the second biological information, and 
 acquiring a second finger direction of the finger in contact with the biometric authentication device at a second operation time when the structure member is removed from the user, as the second biological information, and 
 
 said performing the authentication includes:
 performing a first authentication based on matching of the first biological information and reference biological information stored in advance at the first operation time, and 
 performing a second authentication based on the matching of the first biological information and the reference biological information, and comparison between the first finger direction and the second finger direction at the second operation time. 
 
 
     
     
       14. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  13 , the method further comprising:
 controlling at least a function to acquire the biological information in the biometric authentication device to be inoperable, when the authentication has ended in failure in the performing of the authentication at the first operation time, or when the authentication has ended in failure in the performing of the authentication at the second operation time. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  13 , wherein:
 acquiring the biological information includes:
 acquiring first operation-time biological information with the finger of the user in contact with the biometric authentication device, at the first operation time, as the first biological information, and 
 acquiring second operation-time biological information with the finger of the user in contact with the biometric authentication device, at the second operation time, as the first biological information, 
 
 the first finger direction is acquired based on the first operation-time biological information, and 
 the second finger direction is acquired based on the second operation-time biological information. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  claim 13 , wherein:
 in the second authentication, it is recognized that the authentication ends in failure, when at least a difference between the first finger direction and the second finger direction exceeds a predetermined allowable range at the second operation time, and 
 the method further comprises:
 controlling at least an operation of a function to acquire the biological information in the biometric authentication device to be inoperable, when the authentication has ended in failure in the second authentication. 
 
 
     
     
       17. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  claim 12 , wherein:
 said acquiring the second biological information further includes:
 acquiring first action data corresponding to spatial movement of the biometric authentication device at a first operation time when the structure member is donned by the user, as the second biological information, and 
 acquiring second action data corresponding to the spatial movement of the biometric authentication device at a second operation time when the structure member is removed from the user, as the second biological information, and 
 
 said performing the authentication further comprises performing the authentication based on matching of the first biological information and a comparison of the first action data and the second action data at the second operation time. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  claim 12 , wherein:
 the structure member includes a band member on which the biological information acquisition unit is provided, the band member having a first end portion and a second end portion at respective ends thereof in a length direction, the band member being configured to be wound around a wearing portion of the user when the structure member is worn to the user, and the band member having the first end portion and the second end portion electrically connected when the band member is wound around the wearing portion, and 
 the method further comprises:
 electrically detecting whether the first end portion and the second end portion of the band member have been connected; and 
 controlling an acquisition action of the biological information according to a detection result of the detecting of the connection. 
 
 
     
     
       19. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  claim 18 , wherein:
 the band member has a structure in which the first end portion is connectable with the second end portion at a plurality of mutually different positions, 
 the detecting of the connection includes detecting a connection position as to where in the second end portion the first end portion of the band member is connected, and 
 said performing of the authentication comprises using a detection result of the connection position of the first end portion in the second end portion of the one end portion of the band member. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of driving and controlling a biometric authentication device according to  claim 12 , wherein:
 the biometric authentication device includes an electrode for acquiring a biological impedance of the user, 
 said acquiring the biological information includes acquiring the biological impedance with the electrode, and 
 the authentication is performed based on the acquired biological impedance.